Justice Robert Benham (left) and Judge Sara Doyle (Photos: John Disney/ALM)

Georgia Supreme Court Justice Robert Benham said for the first time officially Friday that he will retire at the end of his current term, leaving his seat open in 2020. Also Friday, Georgia Court of Appeals Judge Sara Doyle said she plans to run for the job.

“This is an opportunity that doesn't come around very often—for there to be an open seat,” Doyle told the Daily Report Friday.

Both developments are historic for the court. Benham is the longest-serving member—appointed by Gov. Joe Frank Harris in 1989—and the first African American justice. His departure will leave the court with only one jurist of color: Chief Justice Harold Melton. The court also has only one woman, Justice Sarah Warren—appointed by Gov. Nathan Deal last year. Only three other women have served in the court's history:  Justice Leah Ward Sears, who retired in 2009; Justice Carol Hunstein, who retired last year; and Justice Britt Grant, who left last when when President Donald Trump nominated her to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

“Justice Benham has been a steady force behind this Court,” Chief Justice Harold Melton said in a news release Friday. “As a jurist, he has been unwavering in his commitment to ensuring that all people have equal access to the courts. As a man, he is the embodiment of justice and mercy. He is one of those who manages to bring the best out of people.”

It's no secret that Benham will reach the state's mandatory retirement age for appellate judges of 75 soon after the next term would begin. He has spoken privately about his plans to retire when his current term ends. He made the news public Friday in response to questions about Doyle's plans to run.

She filed a registration with the Georgia Government Campaign Finance Commission Wednesday.

Judicial elections will be held in May 2020, and they are nonpartisan contests in Georgia. Doyle's registration identified her campaign chair as David Bell of the David Bell Law Firm in Augusta and her treasurer as King & Spalding partner Letitia “Tish” McDonald.

“I started thinking about this a couple of years ago,” Doyle said Friday. That's when she finished her term as chief judge, and she missed the administrative and representative duties. In talking with justices she knows, she thought she would enjoy the greater role they play on state commissions and boards. Plus she loves writing opinions and delving into the kind of cases that usually go on to the high court from the intermediate appellate court, she said.

“The things that get you excited are those bigger cases that are usually taken up on cert. Those are the ones that keep you up at night,” she said.

Doyle ran for an open seat to win election to the Court of Appeals in 2008. The former Holland & Knight partner beat six opponents to win the job.

She said she realized running was her way to the court after going through the nomination process last year. She was put on a special short list of three requested by the governor for his last appellate court appointments. The other two were former Republican legislative floor leaders for the governor, and they were both chosen—one for the Supreme Court and one for the Court of Appeals.

Looking to the future, Doyle said she doesn't foresee other appointment opportunities for herself.

“I don't think I'd be in line. I'm not considered far left or far right,” she said. “A lot of times politics gets in the way of those decisions, and I totally understand that. I think running is my opportunity. I'm going to look for support from everyone.”